5 ways to do Ireland's autumn festivals

Ireland kicks autumn off with a high-grade line-up of festivals, from theatre and opera to comedy and food. And we’ve got five ways to #MakeItYours

1 MAKE IT HAPPEN

The great thing about festivals in Ireland is the spontaneity. You can ALWAYS get last-minute tickets for small, quirky shows, which is half the fun. But take our word for it – if you want to see the headliners, then it’s a good idea to book ahead.

2 MAKE IT MEMORABLE

Autumn in Ireland offers a mind-boggling array of events, including the Dublin Fringe Festival (September), Belfast Comedy Festival (September – October), and Culture Night (September). And being the buzzing kind of place it is, Ireland will feed you well beforehand and provide plenty of post-show kicks right through September and October.

Try budget-friendly Bread and Bones or Taco Taco in Dublin. Hit up Apartment in Belfast, for the laid-back atmosphere and great cocktails, or head to Busker Browne’s in Galway – a gastropub right in the heart of the city's Latin Quarter. When you’re ready to take it to the dance floor, clubs like DistrictEight in Dublin and The Limelight in Belfast will be waiting for you.

3 post-show pubs

3 MAKE IT SCARY

If you want to vamp it up with blood-curdling Gothic get-ups or go ghoulish with 40,000 dressed-up revellers, then claim your spot at one of Ireland’s horror-themed festivals this autumn. Start off by sinking your teeth into the Bram Stoker Festival (October), which honours the Dublin-born author of Dracula. The city goes red for three nights of vampiric high-jinks with literary events, walks, screenings and a Gothic ball.

Keep the theme going with DerryHalloween (October), which sees the whole city dress up for what is now Europe’s biggest Hallowe’en festival. Expect ghostly costumes, a killer line-up of events and a crowd of 40,000 for a seriously scary Hallowe’en parade.

Did you know?

Ireland invented Hallowe’en. The festival has Celtic pagan roots that date back about 2,000 years.

4 MAKE IT TASTY

Food + Festival. Is there really a better combination than melding the best Irish produce with up-tempo events? Try the famous Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival (September) in the boho city of Galway, right on the Wild Atlantic Way. It’s been described as one of the “12 greatest shows on earth” by the Sunday Times.

5 MAKE THE DAYTIME MATTER

You’re not going to sit around waiting for your chosen festival doors to open so here’s how you can make the days count, too. Partying it up in Dublin? Take in the wilds of Wicklow, with a climb up the sweetly named Sugar Loaf Mountain. In town for the 12-day Wexford Festival Opera? Explore a gem of Ireland’s Ancient East, with a trip to Hook Head Lighthouse: over 800 years old but still the ‘flashiest lighthouse in the world’, according to Lonely Planet.

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